


Once and Future

by Daegaer



Series: Once and Future [2]
Category: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper, Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Crossover, Demons, Dogs, Friendship, Gen, Mentors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-18
Updated: 2012-05-18
Packaged: 2017-11-05 14:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/407265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles with Crowley and Bran Davies. Written at different times.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once and Future

_Yellow_

 

Bran sits in the ferns, staring at nothing. He gradually focuses on the large black car parked on the road, and the black-clad figure strolling up the hillside.

"Afternoon," the young man says, dropping down beside him.

Bran says nothing, even though he was greeted in locally accented Welsh. He has never seen this man before.

"Those are really ugly sunglasses," the man says. "Why do you wear them?"

Defiantly, Bran takes them off, and blinks his yellow-gold eyes. The man puts a hand to his own sunglasses and removes them, looking Bran full in the face.

And Bran smiles.

* * *

_Cafall_

 

Bran no longer feels lonely, although he suspects he is too old to smile for imaginary friends or to cry for brave dogs. He cries on the hillside, smiles as fingers ruffle his hair. Bran wishes his friend were real, for no one else makes him laugh anymore. But even if it is a sign of madness, he has an imaginary friend with a _car_ , which Bran finds a great advantage. Because of his friend, Bran is no longer lonely.

For the last time he left, he turned, 

And looked off to the side,

And said,

"I like your dog."

* * *

_Wanted_

 

There is no magic in Bran's world anymore. He long since finished school, and sees his life stretching unwanted before him.

He dreams of bright towers and a hawthorn tree. He dreams of fast cars and sly, sidelong smiles. He dreams of children and a dog.

His waking life is grey and empty. Until the day he sees the black car in the village and looks into the slyly smiling face. He is not dreaming, he realises. He was never mad.

"Come with me," Crowley says in perfect Welsh. "I have something for you to do."

Bran cries with joy.

* * *

_Afanc_

 

Bran keeps his eyes on the line where the mountains meet the sky. "Am I damned, then?" he asks.

"That's a heavy question for so early," Crowley says. "What do you think _damned_ means?"

Bran shrugs, uncomfortable. Crowley's shadow is always ice-cold, and the lisp is a hiss if Bran listens closely.

"Anthony, bach -" he starts.

"Let's talk about this later," Crowley says, and throws the stick in his hand.

Cafall chases after it, silent and fast, ears flat back with the joy of running. Bran buries his doubts. He will lose neither his dead dog nor his afanc friend.

* * *

 _Once and Future_

 

"If the Light wins," Bran says slowly, "what happens to us?"

Crowley stretches lazily, staring at the sky. "Nothing good, I should imagine. Not for us or anyone."

Bran thinks about that, wondering about the tone. "And if the Dark wins?"

"Same answer," Crowley says. "Same answer for Heaven, same for Hell. Sorry."

There is something pushing at Bran's mind, like an insistent dog, but if he looks at it full-on it would be gone, like Cafall. "If I wanted to fight for something else? Like - Britain?"

"Ah, now that's a _different_ story," Crowley says.

His tone is deeply satisfied.


End file.
